Recently, a visible light communication system (a visible light ID system) is proposed, which is configured to modulate visible light (illumination light) emitted from a lighting apparatus (a transmitter) to transmit unique ID information or the like to the lighting fixture, and to demodulate the ID information with a receiver receiving the visible light. Examples of a utilization form of the visible light communication system include course guidance (navigation) in a facility, introduction of exhibits in a gallery and a museum and the like (referring Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2010-117301, hereinafter referred to as “documents 1”, and Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2011-244141, hereinafter referred to as “document 2”).
In the conventional examples described in the documents 1 and 2, the receiver holds (stores) the information about the navigation or the introduction of the exhibits. On the other hand, a system is also proposed, in which a server holds (stores) the information about the navigation or the introduction of the exhibits, and a receiver receives ID information by visible light communication and transmits the ID information to the server by wireless communication, and the server replies the information corresponding to the ID information to the receiver.
By the way, as the above-mentioned utilization form, various information is made to correspond to multiple pieces of ID information, respectively, and thereby it is possible to provide various services. Here, in the above-mentioned visible light communication system, it is supposed that a service-provider providing the various services to a user who possesses the receiver is different from a manager managing the transmitter (the lighting fixture).
The user receives the ID information from the manager by the visible light communication, and notifies the service-provider of the ID information by wireless communication, and then receives information (service information) corresponding to the ID information from the service-provider. Therefore, the user can utilize the various services. In this case, the user will pay money to the service-provider for the provided service, and the service-provider will pay money to the manager for use of the ID information.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the manager does not participate in the notice of the ID information from the user to the service-provider and the reply of the service information from the service-provider to the user. Therefore, there is a fear that the service-provider not performing an agreement (a contract) to the manager about the use of the ID information provides the service without permission, and the service-provider will not pay money to the manager for use of the ID information.